FOSTER RASTRICK AND COMPANY

'The Railway Magazine' (January 1937) states that in 1829 the Foster
Rastrick and Company of Stourbridge built the 'Agenoria' for the
Shutt (sic) End Colliery Railway at Kingswinford, Staffordshire . The
article has a photograph of the 'Agenoria' outside the original York
Railway Museum which was the new home for the locomotive which had
formerly been at the Science Museum in London. It is said to be
almost identical to the 'Stourbridge Lion' which was built in 1828
for export to the U.S.A.

The Industrial Railway Society, in its West Midlands Handbook
published in 1992, states that James Foster trading under his name
and that of his half brother John Bradley built a railway from Shut
End to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. The railway was
completed in 1829 as a joint venture between Foster and Lord Dudley.
The 'Agenoria' was present at the official opening of the line on 2nd
June 1829. Shortly after, blast furnaces and ironworks were built
Grid Reference: SO 902898) with a locomotive shed at grid reference
SO 896895). The railway was sometimes called the 'Shut End Railway'
or 'Kingswinford Railway'. The 'Agenoria' remained at Shut end until
being moved to the Science Museum in London in 1885.

John Boynton provides more information in his book 'Rails through the
Hills' (see bibliography for details) and
illustrates the article with a drawing of both locomotives. Boynton
states that a representative of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Co
came to the UK in 1828 to purchase four steam locomotives. He ordered
one from Robert & George Stephenson and was then recommended to
talk to John Urpeth Rastrick who was in partnership with James
Foster. At that time Foster, Rastrick and Company was building the
'Agenoria' and Allan ordered three locomotives for his railway to be
named 'Stourbridge Lion', 'Hudson' and 'Delaware'. Boynton doubts
that the last two were ever built. 'Stourbridge Lion' was steamed on
8th August 1829 and thus became the first railway locomotive ever to
run in America. However because of the inadequate track it is
unlikely that it was ever used again and by 1849 had been
cannibalised. The remains were presented to the Smithsonian
Institute, Washington DC where it is house in the Hall of Transport.

The web site 'Stourbridge.co.uk' states that the Foster, Rastrick
works is at the junction of Bradley Road and Lowndes Road. It is a
Grade 2 listed building but is in very poor condition.

A lot more information about the 'Stourbridge Lion' can be found on
the Bridge Line Historic Railway web site (bridge-line.org/stourbridge_lion.htmll)
and details about a replica built in 1933.